Blackford Bulletin

Printable News

Use the latest version of Firefox to print this page. Remember to set print settings to print background colors and images and make sure ignore scaling is not checked. Also, make sure "Page Headers" and "Page Footers" are all set to "--blank--."

This help text will not show up on the print.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Blackford Bobcats!

New Year 2024

Happy New Year Blackford Families! May 2024 be your best year yet. 

Elementary Schools Set Enrollment Tour Dates

Tours Designed for Parents of incoming Kindergarten and TK students

A group of kindergarten children--3 girls and 2 boys-- happy and smiling

Campbell Union School District’s elementary schools are offering tours for families of young children to get a glimpse into kindergarten and transitional kindergarten. These special tours aim to ease the transition into school and foster a sense of community for our new families.

Tours give parents an inside look into the learning environment, curriculum, and overall school culture and the opportunity to ask questions of the school administrators.

View the tour schedule here.

Winter Season Brings Good Deeds and Good Wishes

Message From Dr. Viramontez, District Superintendent

District logo with blue background and snowflakes

All of us in Campbell Union School District are grateful to be part of this caring community. 

Please click here for a special message from Superintendent Shelly Viramontez.

Our schools will be closed for Winter Break, December 18 through January 1, and we wish everyone a happy, safe and restful two weeks. We look forward to resuming teaching and learning when we return on January 2nd.

District Breaks Language Barriers for Diverse Families

School and Family Partnership is Vital to Student Success

In a proactive approach to inclusivity, Campbell Union School District is tackling language barriers for its diverse community. With over 50 different languages spoken among district families, the initiative helps all families engage with and support their student’s success at school.

“Except in our dual immersion school, all student instruction is provided in English. That presents an extra hurdle for students whose primary language is not English,” said English Language Development Program Coordinator Denise Kilpatrick. “Our district is committed to making educational content accessible for all students and actively involving their families in the learning process.”

Because the district is committed to two-way communication, it provides a range of resources to facilitate it, including on-demand interpreters and translators for employee requests, language preference settings on ParentSquare for personalized communication, and multilingual options for school newsletters. A phone interpretation service, Language Scientific, facilitates real-time conversations, ensuring effective communication between parents and teachers.

To further bridge the gap, some schools are piloting web translation applications. These tools aid newcomer students in accessing classroom lessons and provide families with an additional avenue for obtaining information to support their children's learning at home.

Caption: Multicultural events and celebrations, like this one at Forest Hill, are another way our schools embrace partnering with parents and encourage family involvement in student learning. See short video.

District Takes a Stand in Class Action Suit Against Meta

Combating social media risks and advocating for student wellbeing

unhappy adolescent girl looking at her phone as two others behind her look and laugh at her

Campbell Union School District has officially joined a class action lawsuit against Meta, alleging that their products are intentionally designed to be addictive, marketed towards children, and are negatively impacting student mental health, according to District Superintendent Shelly Viramontez. 

“Our teachers and administrators see the adverse effects of social media on children's mental health and learning capabilities every day,” said Dr. Viramontez. “We don’t anticipate any financial gain. We want to raise awareness and combat the harm caused by the seemingly deliberate manipulation of children and youth.”

Multiple studies underscore the risks and behaviors of children who use social media:

  • Nearly 40% of children 8-12 years old use social media. Those are peak years for brain development and risk-taking behavior.
  • Up to 95% of youth age 13-17 report using social media—More than ⅓ say “almost constantly” 
  • Children and adolescents on social media are commonly exposed to extreme, inappropriate, and harmful content.
  • Those spending 3-plus hours/day on social media face twice the risk of poor mental health, including depression and anxiety symptoms. (8th & 10th graders average 3.5 hours/day on it.)
  • Studies limiting use of social media resulted in mental health benefits for young adults.
  • Excessive use is linked to sleep problems, attention problems and feelings of exclusion.

“Our top priorities are ensuring student safety and educating them to their highest potential,” Dr. Viramontez said. “We do that on multiple fronts: We have multiple layers of filters, protocols, and systems to protect students on district-issued devices; we educate our students to be critical thinkers and responsible digital citizens, not passive consumers of media; our middle schools are certified Common Sense Media schools, and we collaborate with families to encourage digital wellness and responsible technology use.”  

Want to Learn More?